Art Auction Catalogs
Auction catalogs represent an important source for various types of information on works of art and artists. They can provide provenance information or a "genealogy" of a work of art. Detailed illustrations and descriptions of a work of art are usually available. They can also help to identify a particular object sold at auction. As a group they can help to trace trends and taste of a particular time period or collector.
Recommended KU Libraries Database
- askARTInformation on over 270,000 artists; information varies in depth, but may include biographical, book, and periodical references, auction records, museums that own artwork, and images.
Online Pricing Information
- iCollectorA free database dedicated to trading antiques, fine art and premium collectibles on the Internet. It gives you access to online auctions, auction catalogs, dealers, and gallery directories.
- FindArtInfoA combination free & subscription service. Free search allows a search by artist's name to find a list of sales with the date of sale, title of work, medium, and price.
- Invaluable(formerly Artfact). A subscription service offering information on upcoming and past auctions. Bidders can search and buy from over 160,000 auctions annually and the database includes more than 57 million complete auction results .
- ArtPriceA subscription service with Fine Art auction information on the prices of art works, for people who want to buy, sell, insure, or invest in Art.
- artnetA subscription service offering a place to buy, sell and research fine art online. Includes an online gallery, a daily magazine and a price database.
Annual Indexes to Auctions
KU owns some annual compilations of auction prices that are organized by artist's name with the pieces sold during the year listed in alphabetical order; data elements include artist's name, name of artwork, dimensions, medium, signature, auction information, price realized.
- Gordon's print price annual1978-. Recent volumes include a directory of auction houses, listing of sales from the previous year, an alphabetical list by artist's name of prints sold at auction, and a cross-index listing by catalogue raisonne number.
- International Auction Records. (aka Guide Mayer)1968-. Arranged alphabetically by artist's name. Earlier volumes divides the sales into media chapters, e.g., paintings, prints, watercolors, sculptures, drawings.
Historical Auction Catalogs
- Davis Catalog of the Catalogs of Sales of Art by2v. Boston, G.K. Hall, 1972. This Parisian library was founded in 1886 to promote artistic craftsmanship among the city's workers. The collection is particularly strong in the decorative arts. In French.
- Dictionnaire des Ventes d'Art Faites en France et a l'Etranger Pendant les XVIIIme & XIXme Siecles by7v. Paris: Maison D'Editions d'oeuvres artistiques, Ch. de Vincenti, 1911-12. Organized alphabetically by artist's name, this set indexes about 3,000 public sales of the 18th & 19th centuries from 30,000 artists and 50,000 items. In French.
- American art auction catalogues, 1785-1942; a union list byNew York: New York Public Library, 1944. Indexes about 7,000 catalogues with entries including first day of sale, owner's name, short descriptive title, auction firm, collation, number of lots, location of copies. Additional information includes list of American auction houses, list of catalogues, and index of owners.
- Répertoire des Catalogues de Ventes Publiques... by4v. La Haye: M. Nijhoff, 1938-. Important resource that lists more than 100,000 art sales catalogues from libraries in Europe and the USA. Volumes are organized by time period with v. 1 covering sales that occured from 1600-1825; v.2, 1826-60; v.3, 1861-1900; v.4, 1901-1925. Each entry includes assigned number, date, sale location, number of lots, auctioneers, number of pages in the catalogue, and libraries that own the catalogue. In French.
Current Auction Information
Websites for the various auction houses will usually provide a calendar of upcoming auctions as well as auction results from recent sales; some may also produce the entire catalog for an upcoming sale online. Both Christies and Sotheby's now allow online searching of upcoming and past auctions.
- Christie'sDatabase allows searching of upcoming or past sales back to 1998. Searching can be done by sale location, object category, or sale date.
- Sotheby'sLinks to "Sold Lot" archive. Database that extends from 1998 with, where permitted by copyright, images from 2001. Searching is available by keyword, creator, title/name, hammer price, sale date, provenance, auction location, sale title, sale number, lot number, or department. Search of upcoming lots also available by browsing the catalogues.
Journals are another good source of information on upcoming auctions.
- The Art Newspaper1990-. Monthly newspaper about the visual arts based in London. Includes news about artists, exhibitions, collectors, museums, fairs, books, and more with worldwide coverage.
- Art & Antiques2000-. Monthly magazine intended for art collectors and consumers which covers fine art, artists, antiques, furniture and collectables.
Case Studies
Pictures, Passions and Eye: A Life at Sotheby's by Publication Date: 2011
Auctioneers Who Made Art History by Publication Date: 2014Stuttgart: Hatje Cantz, 2014. With portraits of auctioneers, this volume tells the story of the art auction business.
Going Once: 250 Years of Culture, Taste and Collecting at Christie's by Publication Date: 2016
